Perspective 3/Magic Studies

???: I’m home

…

No answer came from the house. This was strange because to the man’s knowledge there should be someone home.

???: I guess Pax must be asleep or something.

He calmly stepped inside and slipped out of his shoes, but he couldn’t shake the idea that something was wrong. There was a faint yet strange smell entering his nostrils. When he focused on it, it smelled suffocating and disgusting. Like something rotting.

Sprinting over to the origin of that nasty smell, the bathroom, the man prayed that it wasn’t what he dreaded it might be deep down.

Stepping into the bathroom, he saw a sight no father should ever be forced to see. A sight too horrible to be put into words. A sight that made his world spin and his stomach flip.

Falling to his knees, the man choked on his breath and tears began forming in his eyes.

???: No…

He didn’t want to believe what his eyes were showing him.

But even if his eyes were shut, he couldn’t get that horrible smell out of his nostrils: That stench of a rotting corpse.

If he had covered his nose, he wouldn’t be able to close off that horrible sound: The buzzing of flies eating his precious son’s corpse and laying their disgusting eggs in his body.

With such irrefutable evidence, his heart couldn’t possibly deny the present truth. Pax was dead, and by the looks of it, he had killed himself.

???: No, we don’t know that yet.

Looking up, he saw a half empty bottle of vodka and a strange looking knife laying on the floor next to the tub.

???: Since when have we had that knife?

The man had never seen this strange knife before. It was pitch black and had some strange symbol on its side. It looked like four circles partially overlapping one another in a strange way.

Why was this man focusing so much on the knife his son used to kill himself? Perhaps he was just trying to distract himself from the truth.

This knife had a weird energy coming from it. For some reason it reminded him of some of the items that his late wife had once showed him. Supposedly they had come from another world.

???: It was this knife that did it then, wasn’t it?

Refusing to believe that his own son would commit suicide, the man pinned the blame on this knife.

…

???: In that case, there’s a chance isn’t there… That Pax went to another world and is still alive.

He knew the odds were against him. He knew that there was only a one in a million chance that his son was still alive.

Even so, he had to believe in that one in a million chance. Because if it were true, then Pax needed him, now more than ever.

???: I’ll get my revenge on this knife for killing you, and I’ll bring you home. Wait for me Pax.

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I had a strange dream.

???: Don’t fall asleep in the middle of my lectures dumbass.

I saw a strange symbol glowing before me.

I feel like it was the same symbol that was on the knife that I... held in my final moments.

I also feel like I saw that symbol appear before me right before I was born in this world. But my memory feels so fuzzy.

???: Hey, can you hear me!

If what I'm thinking is right, could it be?  Is it possible that knife is the reason that I reincarnated in this world?

That knife saved my life and gave me a second chance?

???: PAX!

Ash was really in my face now, maybe I should ask her if she’s seen that symbol before.

Ignoring her shouts, I drew the symbol as I remembered it on a piece of paper before me.

Adam: Have you seen this symbol before?

For some reason Ash seemed annoyed, but after sighing she answered my question.

Ash: No, I have not. You can check if the library has anything on it later... Where have you seen this symbol anyways?

Adam: ….Uhh. In my dreams?
Ash gave me a look like she was tired of my bullshit. Then she walked back to the chalkboard and went back into teacher mode.

Ash: I guess since you’re so bored of history lessons, we can move onto magic next.

I should probably pay attention to this.

Ash: From your divination ceremony, we now know that you are both a Manipulator and an Augmenter–

Adam: Question sensei!

Ash: Shoot

Adam: How common is it to be a dual Familia user?

Ash: Well… It’s uncommon but not unheard of. Usually 1 in 100 people have two affinities. Of that 1%, the most common dual affinities are Augmenter and Manipulator. If someone has two affinities, they almost always have Manipulator as one of them... Anyways my point is that you shouldn’t let it get to your head. Anyone can use multiple affinities with enough practice. I personally can use Creation, Manipulation, and a little bit of Augmentation even though I only have affinity for Creation…

I see she has high expectations from me. I’ll work hard to not let her down. Also, isn’t three Familias kinda crazy?

Ash: …As I said in my previous lectures, emotions are the pathways that we use to cast spells. That is why every person’s chants are unique. Say, for example, you want to cast a warming spell. You need to recall the emotion that corresponds with warmth and use it to trace out your visualization.

Most simple magic system I’ve ever seen, no doubt.

Ash: …For now, let’s get you up to snuff in Manipulation magic.

Ash then exited the room for a second, came back with a caged rabbit, and then placed it on my desk.

Adam: What…

Ash: The basic principle behind Manipulation magic is ordering the world to obey your will. This is commonly done to inanimate objects, but for beginners it’s best to start with a small animal. Hence, the rabbit. Order it to run in a circle.

She then took out the rabbit from the cage and set it down in front of me.

Okay, here goes.

I stuck my arm out, closed my eyes, and imagined the rabbit running in circles on the table.

After a while, I opened my eyes, and to my dismay the rabbit was just sitting and doing nothing.

Pax: No dice.

Ash: sigh. Adam, when learning a new spell, you need to enter Trance and seek the method. Then you try casting the spell. Just because this is something simple, doesn’t mean you can skip steps.

Trance is basically a state of deep meditation. I’m not sure how it works, but if you focus hard enough, the answers just kinda appear in your head.

Anyways, I entered Trance and sought out the way to make rabbits run in circles. Feels kinda stupid but alright.

Eventually I intuitively understood how to make rabbits run in circles, and when I forced my will on the rabbit it eventually started running in circles.

Adam: Oh, that wasn’t so bad.

I see how it works. Each Familia is just a different way of willing the world to do your bidding.

Ash: Right, now that you have gotten a feel for Manipulation you can decide what class you want to focus on. Because you have affinity for both Augmentation and Manipulation you should choose something that can be affected by both. Try something you’re emotionally attached to. But whatever you choose, you should only focus on one thing because magic only gets stronger with a deeper understanding, not a widespread one.

Then she plopped a couple textbooks on top of my desk.

Ash: Here are some ideas for you. Take your time.

With that she left the room. I guess class is dismissed.

Ash is just as lazy as ever, not sure what I expected.

Alone in the classroom, I pondered what magic I would be using.

Well, because I already have a decent amount of biology and anatomy knowledge I chose muscle Augmentation. But now I need something I can both Manipulate and Augment.

So naturally my decision is… Blood Magic.

Manipulate the blood into whatever shape I need and then Augment it to make it lethal.

…

Sounds badass